Commission Support for Broadband Utility Remains Soft
The city of Lakeland is planning a series of public meetings on whether it should create a municipal internet service provider even as support on the commission remains limited. More
Consumer
City Broadband Committee Supports $97M Middle Option
The scope of a possible city-owned internet service provider became more focused Monday as the City Commission’s broadband committee set a goal to build a fiber optics network to cover all of Lakeland city limits. More
U.S. News Ranks Lakeland 22nd Best City for Singles in U.S.
When U.S. News & World Report looked for the best places in the U.S. for singles to live, it found seven Florida cities among the top 25. Lakeland came in at 22nd among the nation’s 125 largest metro areas. More
Look Up Polk Restaurant Health Inspections
There’s been a lot of Facebook discussion lately (a sample) about The Morning Paper’s method of presenting restaurant health inspection information, so we wanted to point out an alternative presentation.
Check out Polk County restaurant health inspections in a searchable statewide database published by tallahassee.com, the website for the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. More
Carvana Expands Vehicle Delivery to Lakeland
Carvana, an online used-car dealership with an inventory of more than 15,000 vehicles, has added Lakeland to the roughly 130 markets where it offers as-soon-as-next-day delivery. More
Affordable Housing Shortage: Rents Outpace Wages
People looking for rentals in Lakeland are discovering that affordability is hard to find in a market that combines a housing shortage, growing population, escalating development costs and stagnant wages.
Report Has Polk Second in U.S. in New Foreclosures
Lakeland-Winter Haven has had the nation’s second-highest rate of new foreclosure filings among metro areas this year, according to a new analysis that finds the filings down from last year nationally but up significantly in Florida. More
HomeGoods Store Coming to S. Florida Avenue
HomeGoods (website), an off-price home-furnishings sister company to T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s, is building a 21,000-square-foot store next to the site of the upcoming GreenWise Market on South Florida Avenue, Polk County building records show.
Lakeland Electric Fuel Charge Will Decrease Slightly
Lakeland Electric customers can thank a warm winter and dropping natural gas prices for a slight dip in their electric bill over the next three months. The utility’s fuel charge will drop from 3.875 cents per kilowatt hour to 3.750 cents for April, May and June. That’s a $1.25 decrease for the “typical” residential customer using 1,000 kWh of power.
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Hard-Earned Consumer Tip: Understand Your Water Bill
A consumer tip comes via a Lakeland Water Utilities customer who discovered he was paying a $35.15 monthly base rate instead of $13.13 because his house had a larger-than-standard meter: Check your water bill; understand what you are being charged for.